British Basketball League achieves record breaking viewing figures online and on Sky Sports
The British Basketball League is experience unprecedented viewing figures for the 2023/24 season
The British Basketball League has returned for its new 2023/24 season on Sky Spots and it is already on course for another record-breaking season following steep growth across viewership in the opening weeks.
Interest in basketball in the UK has continued to soar and following last season – which saw a 200% increase in viewership across the League’s matches channels – there is still a positive momentum behind the sport.
Altogether, 70% more fans tuned into watch a game in the opening month of the season on the League’s YouTube channel, in comparison to the same time period at the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign. Furthermore, average viewership of games is also on the rise, with an 87% increase in fans tuning in to watch the on-court action.
Following the rights renewal with Sky Sports, which sees Sky Sports as the League’s UK broadcast partner for a third successive season in line with the League investing in a gamechanging broadcast set up, TV viewership also continues to soar. With games appearing live on Sky Sports’ linear and YouTube channels on Thursday or Friday nights for the first time ever, the opening three live broadcast games saw a viewership increase of 89% in comparison to last season’s opening three fixtures.
During the off-season, the British Basketball League launched its new ‘Unbeatable’ rebrand, highlighting the organisation’s most exciting period of growth in the sport’s history in the UK. The rebrand gave the League more than a new identity and is at the heart of its branding across everything to do with the game. This includes across the broadcast and the League’s digital and social media platforms, including the introduction of the Unbeatable Highlights Magazine show which airs nine times weekly across Sky, bringing fans closer to the stories told on and off the court.
The rebrand has launched British basketball into a new era with excitement soaring in the opening weeks, with a 1,323% growth in engagements across the League’s digital channels such as Instagram, X and TikTok. Video viewership also rose by 314%, whilst 141% growth in followers has also followed across the same platforms.
With such pulse-raising action taking place on the court and the League’s growth continuing off it, coverage around the League across print, online and broadcast titles climbed by 238% in comparison to the new season tip-off in 2022.
Speaking on the League’s incredible start to the new season, British Basketball League CEO, Aaron Radin, said: “Following on the League’s growth last season, we have ambitious plans to continue growing and expanding over the next year, taking British basketball to the next level. Over the last few months alone, we have launched our new Unbeatable rebrand and created an entirely new inhouse production set-up with a new studio and magazine show with some of the best talent in the business – all to bring an unprecedented and exceptional viewing experience to our fans.
“The statistics from the opening period of the season are very encouraging for the continued rise of the game in the UK, and we will continue the hard work to bring the very best the League has to offer to audiences across the world as we strive for another recordbreaking and ‘Unbeatable’ season.”
2023/24 British Basketball League games are available to watch every week across Sky Sports, Sky Sports YouTube, NOW and on the British Basketball League YouTube channel.